Question

what is the respiratory system of a sea anemone? i need to know for a project thats due tomorrow!

Answer 1

This is a bit of a tricky question, and I honestly don't remember a whole lot, other than the fact that they just absorb dissolved O2 (in water) through their skin or something, I don't think they have any respiratory system, or organs.
I'll look for some articles on the web, and link to one thats good... if all else fails I'll go grab my marine zoology book and see what I can dig up.

Answer 2

I can't find any particularly good information on this--mostly it is too basic, and just states it or it is really advanced and gets into the chemistry of the respiration.

So, I guess you can just believe me, lol. Basically, they don't have a respiratory/circulatory system (or digestive system) all of these are combined. They have a gasterointestinal tract that you can think of as a tube that has a mouth, they simply take in water and their nutrients and are then able to absorb what they need and exchange their waste products. They then flush the tube, expelling their wastes and take in a new bit of water to digest/breathe from, and such.

Answer 3

Some aquatic organisms can get by simply by having bodies with numerous evaginations or invaginations. Sea anemones and jellyfish, for instance, have large spaces inside their bodies that are continuous with the outside water, and cells adjoining these spaces are thus able to absorb O2 directly from the water contained there. No specialized structures are needed to move the O2 around the body, and normal feeding movements circulate the water in the spaces.